Arkansas Passes LGBT Discrimination Bill

On Friday, Arkansas’s legislature passed a bill preventing cities and counties from enacting their own laws to protect LGBT people. The state’s House of Representatives voted 57-20 to put the bill through; it has already cleared the state Senate and Gov. Asa Hutchison, a Republican, is not expected to veto it. The bill’s sponsor told BuzzFeed News that it was created to encourage consistent policies and attract businesses, and because he did not want cities expanding civil-rights laws to LGBT people. Rep. Clarke Tucker, a Democrat, called the bill a “proactive act of discrimination” on the House floor.